Policies + Disclosures

Transfer Credit – Undergraduate

Transfer credit for transfer students

Prior college transcripts for transfer students are automatically reviewed for transferable credit in Foundation Studies and Liberal Arts. Transfer students desiring transfer credit in their major or in non-major studio electives must request consideration from their department head during the first semester of their entering year.

Transfer credit from Summer Studies or from credits taken elsewhere while on leave

Students can pick up course credits during the summer or while on leave. Non-major studio electives and liberal arts courses intended for transfer back to RISD must be approved by the student’s department head (studios) or the Dean of Liberal Arts, respectively, before the course is taken. Information about Liberal Arts transfer credits is available here.

The Office of Continuing Education (RISD|CE) offers elective courses over the summer for credit. Students must check with the Liberal Arts Division Office to confirm that Liberal Arts credit will be granted for a course in that area. RISD/CE summer courses must be transferred to a student’s degree transcript. Only credits and not grades are transferred. The credits and the grade are handled as if they were transferred in from another school, with the grade recorded as a “T” which does not count in the overall GPA calculation.

Transfer credit requirements

Transfer credit is awarded on the basis of credits earned at a regionally accredited college or university and approved for transfer by the student’s Department Head (for major courses or nonmajor studio electives) or by the Dean of Liberal Arts (for liberal arts courses), provided a grade of “C” or better was earned. For studio credit, the course must also be considered equivalent in subject matter to professional/nonmajor electives (for studio course credit) offered or approved by Rhode Island School of Design. Formal written approval for transfer credit must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office with supporting transcripts or credit evaluations.

Credits for transfer courses will be adjusted to match the credit system in effect at Rhode Island School of Design. Grades from transferred courses are not recorded on a student’s RISD transcript nor are they included in the calculation of the RISD GPA. Instead, like all other transfer credit, a grade of “T”, for transfer credit, is assigned.

Credits earned at institutions outside the United States are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all factors deemed necessary, including appropriate national recognition of institutional quality.

The College’s policy on the transferability of credits after ten years allows such credits to be accepted by the College provided that: a) the institution from which credits are to be transferred was regionally accredited at the time the credits were earned, and b) the credit transfer is approved by the appropriate Rhode Island School of Design Department Head (for studio courses) or the Dean of Liberal Arts (for liberal arts courses.)

Transfer credit limitations

After initial enrollment at RISD, undergraduates may transfer up to 12 semester credits from another accredited institution. Students who take a leave from RISD and attend another college should keep this credit limitation in mind as they formulate their educational plans. Courses taken during the Summer from RISD Continuing Education are considered part of this limitation, and RISD CE summer credit is treated as transfer credit in that the grades are not posted to the RISD degree transcript. Instead, like all other transfer credit, a grade of “T”, for transfer credit, is assigned.